


Through Your Eyes

by Izabelle_GD



Category: Bambi (1942)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Childhood Friends, Eventual love confession, Extended Scene, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, I'm not great at tagging XD, Introspection, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Missing Scene, POV Alternating, Pre-Canon, Romance, all non-named characters in canon have names here!, and some "fixed" scenes too, basically a prologue to Bambi/Bambi 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28143918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izabelle_GD/pseuds/Izabelle_GD
Summary: A look into the past of Bambi's parents - their lives before meeting each other, the days they've spent together, the times when they were apart - before their son's birth, and before ultimately being separated forever.
Relationships: Bambi's Mother/The Great Prince (Bambi)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. A Fawn's Innocence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere in the woods, there's a secret place - one which a Young Prince comes across by chance.

Somewhere in the depths of the forest, there was a hidden clearing untouched by time and untainted by the world outside — a place of warmth and light where golden butterflies flew everywhere, with a tiny cliff where a small creek flowing underneath. Indeed, it was like a secret safe haven.

Not far from there, emerging from some bushes that hid the entrance was a fawn, no doubt a Young Prince no older than a few months of age, young enough to not know what life would have in store. Just moments ago he'd been following a butterfly out of curiosity, soon finding himself entering that secret place.

Past the leaves covering the path, the Prince slowly walked closer to where sunlight seeped through the tree leaves and looked up — hundreds of golden butterflies resting on top of the trees, some of them taking flight. It was so... _breathtaking_ , he stood still in awe and unwilling to turn his brown eyes away from that sight.

**"Bruno!"**

The fawn quickly snapped back to reality upon hearing his name being called. "Bruno! Where are you?" A female voice could be heard from beyond the bushes.

"Oh, u-um... I'm coming!" Bruno rushed back and out of the entrance, gave one last quick look at where he came from, then ran to where a doe stood; one no longer in her youth, darkened fur and grey eyes looking at him sternly. Bruno looked up at her with a sheepish smile, while she only sighed and shook her head in disapproval.

"Now Bruno, what have I told you about wandering off on your own without telling me?" The fawn's ears dropped in shame upon hearing her words.

"Sorry, Aunt Nettla..." The doe lifted her head, seemingly paying attention to her surroundings.

"It's getting late, we must return to the den soon enough." Her ears moved while she spoke, as if to try and listen to anything that could be approaching, then started walking away. "Don't fall behind."

"Why do we have to go? The sun didn't leave yet..." Bruno hurriedly caught up with Nettla, confused as to why she was saying this. The old doe glanced at the fawn beside her before returning her gaze to the direction where they were going. Another sigh, eyes quickly becoming somber, more than they already were.

_"... **Man** is in the woods._ So you _must **not**_ stray, do you understand?" 

That was enough to make the fawn not ask anything else, so he merely nodded at his caretaker. He wouldn't dare try even asking her to know more even if he wanted - because he's heard tales about all dangers brought by _Him_.

Nobody in the woods was able to describe what Man really was, and those who were able had become deathly afraid of Him. They say Man has no claws or fangs, yet He is far more dangerous than any wolf, bear or mountain lion. Man carries a stick from which thunder and smoke comes out from, and any time He uses it, an animal dies and is never seen again — because Man has taken them away. He **always** does.

Sometimes He brings strange wolf-like creatures - the crows call them "dogs" - which cannot understand the language of forest animals. Once a dog spots a prey, unless they know a way of evading it, it's over. Man also knows how to lure animals into the meadow by imitating voices, and sets traps which can bring even the largest bear down.

These were things a young fawn shouldn't know, let alone be curious about, yet Bruno couldn't help it. Then again, a part of him knew old Nettla was right. He shouldn't be wandering off on his own so carelessly. Although she wasn't truly his aunt nor was she blood-related to him, she still raised and cared about him as her own.

Such thoughts made him not tell Nettla about the beautiful clearing he's found, because he knew she wouldn't believe him; in her words, there is no such thing as a "safe haven" in the woods, not to those still living anyway. Bruno didn't understand these words, but she'd always said: "Someday, you will." 

As both doe and fawn walked back to their den, the soft summer breeze gave way to a strong wind blowing through the forest, leaves dancing and twirling with it — clouds were forming above as dozens of shadows flew past the trees. No doubt a storm would come soon.

A single crow was sitting on a branch, watching attentively the two deer disappear into the woods as the first raindrops fell.


	2. Old Doe and Young Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Why can’t we stay longer in the meadow?”  
> “Because this place isn’t safe to stay, whether Man is here or not. The best way to live, is to not take your chances so carelessly.”

A vast grey sky, with patches of sunlight shining through the clouds and upon the meadow. The lingering smell of dew and wet grass still lingered in the air, each and every leaf still dripping from the rain that fell the night before. Simply put, it was another quiet morning in the forest.

It’s barely been a full day since Bruno was scolded for wandering off on his own - he and Nettla haven’t been in the meadow on the previous day, but news always spread fast in the forest thanks to the songbirds.

Man came and went; no dogs and no traps; only a few quails and two rabbits were taken; no deer killed on that day. So when it was safe to go to the meadow again, it wasn’t uncommon for onlookers to start whispering, because they rarely went to that open field in the first place, only when it was time to eat.

“Hey, it’s Old Nettla over there!” “Really? I haven’t seen her in a while.” “Looks like she’s taken in another orphan. Can you believe it?”

Nettla rolled her eyes and shook her head in utter annoyance at the comments other younger deer made about her, as if she hadn’t heard them over and over across the years. It took but a single glare at them to make them quit their gossip.

“Tsc, younglings. Did your parents ever teach you how to hold your tongues, let alone respect your elders?” As soon as she spoke, they turned away and left. With a triumphant “hmph”, the doe turned her attention back to her meal - and in the process, back to Bruno, who was busy eating many clover blossoms he found in a nearby pond. Needless to say, the fawn was… Unsurprisingly baffled by her attitude, despite being used to it.

“Pay no heed to them, there’s little more than wind inside their skulls.” She watched as the fawn munched on the petals while listening to her. “And don’t go eating only blossoms, Bruno. Or else you’ll never grow antlers when you’re older.”

Upon hearing this, he quickly started eating both flowers and grass to make up for it. The old doe could only give a small amused smile at the fawn, not sure whether he was just that obedient, or too proud to not be seen as an “antlerless” buck. It mattered not, in the end. Suddenly, he hastily spat it all out.

“ _cough cough_ ” Nettla’s ears perked. By the way it seemed, trying to eat too much in such short time made him unable to gulp down his food, and he coughed as a result.

“Be careful. Don’t eat everything at once.” He nodded, taking a single small blossom on his mouth and munching on it — then he asked:

“... Aunt Nettla?”

“Hm?”

“Why can’t we stay longer in the meadow?”

“Because this place isn’t safe to stay, whether Man is here or not. The best way to live, is to not take your chances so carelessly.” She said without looking away from the grass she was eating.

“I don’t quite get it.” His head tilted slightly.

“When you’re of age, you will understand.”

“I wonder, are there deer who lived a long time?”

“Not as much nowadays, but yes. Old does are far more common than old bucks, however. So a stag who’s lived longer than others, like a Great Prince, is one to be respected by all.”

“A Great Prince... “ Before he knew it, a little smile made its way to his face.

Like the tales of Man, Bruno’s overheard many things about the Great Princes. Except instead of a lingering fear that came after hearing the stories, it was pure admiration.

Stags who stood proud and strong, with the largest antlers any deer could have, and always protecting the forest from all danger no matter what. As of now, he’s never seen a Great Prince before, yet was all too eager to know more about them.

But of course, in spite of what he felt, becoming a Great Prince was no more than a far-off dream of his. What were the chances a little orphaned fawn such as himself, be able to become the next protector of the forest? And besides, Bruno wouldn’t want to leave Nettla all alone, not when she was growing older as time passed. He decided not to dwell on such thoughts any longer and went back to eating.

Not far from there, both he and his caretaker heard the rather loud chattering of fawns, rabbits and some squirrels gathering near an old fallen log. Nettla huffed and gave quite the glare at the commotion.

“Too loud, what’s going on anyway?” Bruno turned his head to where she was looking; he too seemed puzzled. The doe then spared a glance to the fawn.

“... Do you want to join them?”

The question made him quickly look back at her, wide-eyed and ears lowered, completely thrown off. Nettla merely sighed and motioned her head towards where the others were.

“Now then, you don’t have to stay beside me all the time. As long as you’re within my sight, you can join other fawns. Believe me, it’ll be good for you.”

Reluctantly, Bruno nodded and went off to meet the others. It took less than a moment for her stern look to turn into a mournful one, silently talking to herself.

“Hopefully you’ll be able to finally befriend someone. No child deserves to go through what you went...”


	3. The Crow and the Owl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the Young Prince met new companions, and a strange figure...

“Last I saw, he was snoozin’ on that tree near the river, the one right beside the waterfall!” A small brown rabbit motioned with her paws, a few other bunnies nodded along.

“Sheesh, and he was gone just like that. Did he fly off to the south or-” One of the squirrels chimed in, but was cut off by a fawn with their fur all in white.

“Wha- No way! Owls don’t do that, don’t be silly! Only ducks and… Uhh, other birds do that. I think.”

“What’s the use of worrying? He could’ve just found some other hole to sleep in or whatever. This forest is huge, y’know?” Another fawn spoke up, no spots and with a pair of budding antlers growing.

“But knowing that old bird, he rarely leaves this part of the woods. I wonder…” A third fawn replied, no spots and looking very similar to the one with antlers.

Bruno watched from a relative distance as the group chatted about… Someone who’s been missing, perhaps? That white fawn mentioned it was an owl, and whoever that owl was they must’ve been important for the group to make a huge fuss about. Funny enough, he hasn’t seen that many animals in a while, let alone fellow Princes and other deer. At least not since…

No. He shouldn’t be thinking of that! It’s in the past, so it should be left behind, right? Thus, without further ado and making no haste, Bruno gathered a bit of courage and made his way towards the others.

“Uh… - _clears throat_ \- Excuse me?”

In a matter of seconds, five of them looked at him while the rest kept chatting — the brown rabbit and the grey squirrel seemed taken aback but quickly they smiled at the newcomer. The white fawn strained her pink eyes a bit, then her ears lifted in excitement. The grown fawns, on the other hand, remained silent.

“Ah, another one! G’morning!” The squirrel cheerfully greeting the fawn. “Mornin’, Young Prince!” The brown rabbit did the same. The pale one approached Bruno in no time - the sudden attention directed to him made Bruno step back a little.

“Haven’t seen others my age around here! What’s your name? I’m Aydan!” Aydan motioned to the rest of the group. “And they are my friends!”

“U-um… My name is… B-Bruno.”

“Bruno, hm? That’s a nice name. I’m Eike, and this here is my fella Corin.” The brown rabbit said while the squirrel nodded and continued: “And these are our friends from a year ago, Eurig and-”

“My name’s Bran.” The fawn with antlers spoke up, looking at Bruno with skeptical eyes - it made the younger one’s ears lower in both admiration and a bit of fear. “... Nice to meet you, I guess. What do you need?”

“Uhh… I just saw you guys talking and thought you were worried about someone, did something happen?” He blurted out without thinking and averted his eyes in embarrassment.

“Oh, guess you heard us, huh. Do you know Friend Owl?” Aydan asked.

“Friend Owl… ?”

“Y’know, the old owl livin’ around this part o’ the forest? The one who hates that lil' ditty the songbirds sing every spring?” Eike tried to mimic an owl while she spoke - Bruno shook his head in response.

“Guess you’re really not from this part of the forest, then. Ah well, whatever works.” Bran rolled his eyes, which made Eurig frown at him for a moment and then turned back to Bruno.

“He’s been missing these days. We’ve been searching for him anywhere we could, but no success. Wonder what’s gotten to him? Perhaps we should-" Before Eurig could continue-

“AAAAHHHH! GET AWAY, FIEND!”

A loud voice proclaimed - it came from just a couple meters away from them. The rest of the bunnies and squirrels quickly fled to somewhere else, leaving the group of six on their own. Bruno hastily went and hid behind a tree.

“What... was that?!”

“ _That's_ Friend Owl!” Aydan turned and rushed to where the sound apparently came from, the other two deer and rodents in tow. "What- Wait for me!" Bruno was the last to follow - when they realized, just above them were two birds arguing. One was an old grumpy-looking owl, most certainly the one the group's been talking about just moments ago.

Meanwhile, the other bird was entirely pitch black with dark eyes, undeniably a crow; if it weren't for the sunlight passing through the tree leaves, that crow could've easily passed off as invisible. Usually such birds only appeared in flocks and never nearby other birds, so why was this one picking on Friend Owl?

"How many times do I have to say?! Get outta here!" The crow laughed in response, a loud and obnoxious voice coming out of her beak.

"Ahahahah, so noisy, are we? Why cut the fun short when it's getting interesting?" Friend Owl rightfully scowled at the other bird, who retaliated with a smug expression. The six youths could only watch as things happened on top of them. Bran groaned.

"Uugh, no wonder he was missing!" He whispered to the other five in order to not be heard by the two above. "Meeting face to face to one of **them** is already bad!" Eurig rolled her eyes at his statement, clearly not impressed.

"I knew crows could be rude to others, but never saw it myself..." Bruno spoke in a hushed tone as well. "Well nobody likes them, so maybe that's why they're rude?" Aydan asked right after.

"Oh, but they can be worse, ya know? My mama told me they're always there when Man comes, and that they can... _Talk_ to Man." Eike said, Corin nodding along; both trembled as Eike mentioned that last part.

"No way! They can do that?"

"Nah, not exactly that, but you're quite correct!" That obnoxious voice spoke from above. All six instantly looked up wide-eyed. The crow snickered.

"We may be rude, but you know what's more rude? Talking about others behind their backs, especially when they're listening!" The black bird said in a mocking sing-song way, no doubt revelling in the surprised expressions of the youths. The bird then left the branch where Friend Owl was and landed on a lower one.

"I know lots 'bout Man, but... I don't think you'd trust me, so it's best to just introduce myself! I'm Sybille. And judging by your looks..." Sybille stared at the youths in front of her, first to Eurig and Bran. "... I'm gonna assume you're siblings. You two," she turned to the rodents, "could make for a good snack! Ahaha!" They hid behind Aydan, who was next. "Hm, better cherish your eyes while you still can see." The albino fawn shuddered.

"As for you..." Sybille finally turned her attention to Bruno. Those dark eyes were as if piercing through him.

"... I dare say, you look like the kind of deer who'd be better off alone. Could be wrong, of course."

Those words made the fawn more confused than scared, admittedly. What in the world did she mean by that...? But before he could properly think of what to say, the albino fawn stepped in between him and the crow, as if defiantly. Suddenly the owl intervened.

"Still here?! Shoo, shoo!" Sybille complained under her breath upon hearing that. "Fiiine. But this won't be the last you'll see of me, Friedhelm~! Same as you, lil' younglings!" And with these words, Sybille took off and disappeared into the woods. The old owl huffed and went back to the hole in the tree — guess it was where he usually slept in. Finally, Corin broke the silence between them.

"Sheesh. That was so harsh of her! Hope we won't get to meet her ever again!" Eike patted Corin's back.

"... Did she call Friend Owl by another name or something?" Bruno asked in utter confusion.

"Oh, no no. His name really is Friedhelm, but so many misheard his name before, he just lets us call him Friend Owl." Eurig explained to Bruno, who let out an "Oh" and nodded understandingly.

"Guess his parents didn't think ahead when naming him." Bran shrugged and laughed a little, only to be met with Eurig clearing her throat and giving him a dirty look, which prompted him to stop and lower his ears upon her disapproval. As the four interacted among themselves, Aydan and Bruno were on their own.

"... I guess I'll have a lot to tell Aunt Nettla when we get home." The fawn mumbled; Aydan's ears perked up.

"Aunt Nettla?" He quickly realized she heard him.

"Ah, she's not really my aunt! She just takes care of me, it's been a while now." Bruno tried to smile, as if it wasn't all that important. Aydan seemed to have picked up on that.

"Huh... Then where's your mommy? Everyone in the forest has one, right?"

Bruno's attempted smile quickly faded and was replaced by a frown — he turned his face away from Aydan. She, in turn, had a concerned look in her pink eyes.

"... I think she's _somewhere_ in the forest. Maybe she got lost? Aunt Nettla told me to "leave the past in the past" and never talked of her again."

"But why? Do you know what happened?"

"No... I can't quite remember."

The white fawn soon stopped asking any further questions. The one beside her might never tell her, but she had a vague idea of what happened because meeting Eurig and Bran — who indeed were siblings — was what made her understand Bruno's situation a little more despite having just met him. And with what that Sybille said about him... Aydan was more than willing to prove her wrong. Because even in a forest where danger could be lurking anywhere, "being better off alone" wasn't the right answer for the fawn.

Then again... Perhaps that crow wasn't all that wrong about her eyes.


	4. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's always a calm before the storm, and a fragile peace after it too... And the storm itself may come without a warning.

After a few moments, Aydan decided to change the subject. As of then, not speaking of that any further was the best way to go, if she wanted to befriend the fawn next to her.

“Ah. Bruno, can I ask you something?”

“Sure”

“Why didn’t you ask me the reason my fur is white?”

“Oh, that. Aunt Nettla always told me about all sorts of different deer! Like those born all white or all black, those with huge ears and black tails, those in which does grow antlers as well, and those whose antlers are twice as big as a grown Prince!”

“Wow! Guess she knows a lotta things!”

“A doe, growing antlers?” A third voice joined in, and both fawns turned around to see Bran right behind them. “Wait, does that mean they’d enter in fights with other Princes as well?!”

Eurig let out a giggle, which made her brother look at her and tilt his head ever-so slightly in confusion.

“What? What’re you laughing at?”

“In that case, if I had antlers, I’d defeat you right away.” Her not-so-subtle smile made him shake his head while the younger fawns and the two rodents looked at the pair bickering at each other, turning their heads to Bran then to Eurig as they spoke back and forth.

“What?? _No!_ No way!”

“Yes way. I’m the older twin, remember?”

“But I’m bigger!”

“Doesn’t make you smarter though.”

“Says who?”

“Says me. Who helped you get out of that muddy pond the other day?”

“C’mon, it’s not **my** fault it’s been rainy!”

“And who helped you free yourself when your antlers got tangled in branches?”

“Uhhhh... Those branches weren’t supposed to be there!”

“And who got you out of trouble when you made a skunk angry?”

Before long, Eike shook her head and brought her paw to her face, not amused in the slightest by the sight; Corin soon felt dizzy over looking back and forth at the deer before him, losing his balance and falling backwards on his tail.

“Are we gonna see this for the whole day... ?” Eike merely shrugged at Corin’s question, prompting Bruno to ask:

“... Are they _always_ like this?”

“Yup, ever since they were lil’ fawns. They talk n’ talk but in the end they still stick together.” Eike rolled her eyes then helped Corin up. “Imagine what would be happenin’ if they were triplets...”

“Guess that’s how siblings are to each other.” Aydan gave a half-concerned half-embarrassed look at the duo before returning her gaze towards Bruno.

Before any of them could continue, a loud distant noise echoed from somewhere. Instantly everyone froze in place, as if time had stopped. Both Eurig and Bran trembled while Eike and Corin stood up on alert.

“What was that?! Thunder? Is that a storm again?” Bruno looked up and Aydan did the same, only to find out most of the clouds had already mostly dissipated to reveal a vast blue sky, though still not fully clear of clouds.

If that wasn’t thunder...

“ _ **MAN! MAN! MAN! MAN! MAN!**_ ” Dozens of shadows flew in complete chaos from one end of the meadow to another, screaming His name nonstop.

In a matter of seconds, all hell broke loose.

Bucks and does running for their lives; crows flying and cawing above them; songbirds and other animals going into hiding as fast as they could.

“ _BRAN, RUN NOW!_ ” Eurig hastily ran away from the group and into the woods. “W-WAIT FOR ME, EURIG!” He followed her right after, leaving the younger fawns behind - Eike and Corin had already made a run for it.

“ _Aydan?! AYDAN!_ ” A voice called from the commotion, and a doe appeared rushing towards Aydan. “Mommy!” She rushed towards the doe and both made their way towards the forest, having no time to look back at Bruno — he stood there near the tree.

As chaos came about everywhere, he couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t understand what was happening. Has Man returned to the woods? Did anyone knew He would return the next day? How come nobody except the crows realized it?

Wasn’t there supposed to be a Great Prince to warn them about the danger before it came?

“BRUNO! _**RUN!**_ ”

A familiar voice and a harsh nudge made him snap back to reality. Nettla nudged him again, beckoning him to move now. So he did.

The last thing they both heard before disappearing into the forest, was the familiar thunder-like noise coming from the other end of the meadow...

... And the distinct sound of something hitting the ground.

###### 

...................

As they had reached the safety of the den, both deer stopped on their tracks.

While Nettla focused on catching her breath properly due to her age making it harder to do so, Bruno’s legs trembled until he found himself collapsed on a patch of grass, unable and unwilling to get up.

Once she felt better, Nettla looked back at the fawn before her, her usual stern and tired eyes giving way to utter concern and a hint of uneasiness.

“... Bruno?”

He hesitantly looked at her, his body trembling all over, ears turned back, eyes filled with fear.The sight alone made her heart sink. She knew why he was reacting like that…

“Get up.”

His legs were still unsteady, so his first attempt at getting up was a failure right away. He promptly shook his head, as if to say “I can’t”.

“Get up. We’re safe now.”

Taking a deep breath he tried again, this time being able to stand up before his legs were failing him again, except this time Nettla caught him with her muzzle so as to give him some balance. Lightly nudging him, she led him inside the den where he finally let himself lie back down.

She followed right after, sitting beside him. A long moment of silence followed, which turned into several minutes — she could’ve scolded him for not listening to her right away as everyone had fled. But as how things were, Nettla decided against it. Simply couldn't bring herself to do it.

As the day went on, the familiar scent of rain made its way to the forest, droplets falling down the sky and onto the leaves of the trees. Many animals had already made their way to their homes as the drip-drops grew stronger and louder outside.

For most of the afternoon, Bruno stayed in the den — as he still was far too shaken to leave — while his caretaker would sometimes leave and come back with some food for him. It took the fawn a while until he decided to tell Nettla what he had in mind.

“... I don’t get it, Aunt...”

“Hm? What is it, Bruno?”

“Only the crows warned about Man... Why was there no Great Prince to help us?”

Nettla fell silent at the question, opening then closing her mouth as she tried to think of an answer. When she finally found the words...

“... The last Great Prince we had... Man took him away. It's been two years since that day.”

With this, he didn't ask anything else. They both reached an unspoken agreement on not touching this subject, at least not right now — perhaps later on, when they were both ready to talk about this. "Later on"... It was always "later on", never "tomorrow" or "today" or "now". Bruno couldn't complain, though. He's grown used to it. Ever since... _that night_ , he's grown used to never being told anything right then and there, only "later on". What kind of fawn was he for daring to think of wanting to know _now_? 

From outside the den, taking shelter from the downpour beneath a branch, a crow watched from afar.


	5. A Budding Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a time when days of summer and warmth come to an end, the start of a new friendship blooms.

Early in the morning, the sun hadn’t appeared in the sky yet birds were already awake and singing. Somewhere atop a tree, a gray squirrel awakened inside his tiny home, yawning as he started to step out and see the scenery before him.

The weather was gradually changing, some leaves were already losing their vibrant green colors and slowly gaining an orange hue. No doubt autumn was arriving, and therefore his work of finding food for winter had barely begun. Like his parents before him, Corin would prepare himself for when autumn was over.

But of course, there was someone he had to visit first! Down the tree he went, branch by branch and holding carefully onto the tree bark as he made his way down—

A wrong move and he fell off, landing on top of something.

“CA-AGH!”

Or _someone_. Whoever it was, they shook off the squirrel, tossing him into a bush.

“For shame! Don’t you know how to climb down a tree??” Corin could make out the shape of a feathery “thing” as it — a crow, the same one as the previous day, Sybille — screeched at Corin. “Sorryyy!” Corin tried to apologize only to roll out of the bush, covered in leaves and tiny twigs head to tail.

“You’re lucky I’m not in a bad mood. Or else I would’ve eaten you~!” She narrowed her eyes as Corin ran away from that bird as fast as he could.

He soon reached a small burrow, one he recognized as Eike’s home, just as the rabbit was stepping out and stretching whilst trying to shake sleep off, only to get thrown across the grass as Corin crashed onto her in his hurry.

“... Mornin’, Corin.” She lifted a paw and gave a little wave to the squirrel, who hastily went to try and lift her back up, though she didn’t seem at all bothered by what just happened to her. “Agitated as always, eh?”

“Aaah, sorry Eike! Couldn’t stop running! It’s just-”

A screechy laugh came from above them — guess the crow wasn’t done with pestering the two rodents. Corin was no doubt shaking in fear, Eike was admittedly scared too but tried to maintain a sliver of toughness in her.

“Don’tcha have anythin’ better to do, ye big bird?!” Sybille stopped laughing and seemed to ponder at the bunny’s words.

“Well actually I do! I’ve a flock to return to, so time to take my leave~! Hope we get to meet again.” And thus the crow took flight, leaving the two alone at last.

“Oh, hope we never meet again! Scary!” Corin grimaced while Eike shook her head then turned back to him.

“Nevermind that bird. What’cha up to today?”

“Autumn’s coming, I gotta start hoarding nuts for winter as soon as I can!”

“Ya need help with that?”

“If you want to, sure! Also, by the way... Have you seen that fawn from yesterday somewhere? Uhhhh, what was his name again?”

“Ya mean Bruno, that lil’ Prince? Prob’ly somewhere in the woods, dunno. Why?”

“How about we ask his help? Maybe we could befriend him or something in the meantime.”

“Great idea! We’re off then!”

....................................

The sunlight made its way through the woods as a cool breeze blew. Yet another day had started, and summer would come to an end soon.

Not too far from the den was a pond and a few berry bushes nearby — admittedly a place where it was common to see some birds and small animals eating or drinking. But of course, that part of the forest’s always been so isolated and rarely ever got visitors, so they weren’t unwelcome.

Old Nettla had briefly left for the pond to drink while Bruno stayed at the den, when he heard something from the bushes. He briefly turned his head to where his caretaker went before quietly stepping out and going to the source of the noise.

The rustling of leaves continued as he approached, berries rolling out from under that bush in particular, some noticeably munched on and others left untouched. There were voices coming from it. What in the world…?

“... Sheesh, were you -that- hungry now? There won’t be any left soon!” A female voice tried whispering; Bruno’s ears picked up the words. That voice was familiar...

“Forgot to eat! That crow was in the way!” A second voice, male perhaps, joined in… Was he talking with his mouth full?

“Better hurry up, or else we won’t get to find that fella fawn!” Fawn? Maybe he could help with it? Bruno couldn’t resist the urge to ask:

“Excuse me, do you need-”

“AAAHHH!”  
“AHHH!”

Bruno quickly backed out to see two rodents — a brown rabbit and a grey squirrel, weren’t they the same ones from yesterday, Eike and Corin? — stumbling out of the bush as if they’ve been spotted by a predator, only to realize who it was that unwittingly scared them.

“... Wha, what the.” Eike blinked at Bruno and brushed some dust and leaves off her fur; the fawn quickly stepped away as if he’d done something wrong.

“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“Oy, speak o’ the fawn, he appears, right Corin?” Eike turned to Corin, who nodded whilst still holding onto a few berries and munching on one in the meantime.

“What?”

“We were lookin’ for ya, fella Young Prince! Bruno, right? We were meanin’ to ask for some of yer help!” She started gesturing to the squirrel. “See, Corin ‘ere has to start collectin’ food ‘cause winter is comin’ soon, and we figured ya could help us, how ‘bout it?”

“Um, why me?” The fawn tilted his head a bit.

“Why not? Also, gettin’ new friends gotta start somewhere, right?”

In a sense, Eike was right. How else would he get friends if not by interacting more with them? And it indeed seemed like Corin would need a little help in his mission of sorts, so perhaps it wasn’t too bad of an idea in the end. But...

“... I don’t know. Am not supposed to leave the den. I shouldn’t even be out here at all! Aunt Nettla wouldn’t like it a bit, she’d scold me.”

“So? It’s not like we’re gonna go to the meadow, c’mon! And if anythin’ happen, we cover for ya!” Eike smiled, which gave Bruno a slight sense of comfort.

“And we won’t take long and it’s not far either, just need to find nuts lying around. I know! You two search the ground, I search in the trees!” Corin finally spoke up after finishing his meal.

“Great idea!” The bunny grabbed the squirrel for a hug, which was met with little resistance. The Young Prince couldn’t help but giggle at the scene before him... Come to think of it, when was the last time he laughed like that? Oh, it didn't matter at that moment.

“Well let’s go! Corin, ya lead the way!” She let go of him, and soon enough the little trio walked off, but not before Bruno took a worrying glance at the den he was in just moments prior to what just happened.

No doubt a part of him was still debating on whether to follow the two friends or not — would he dare believe those two had just become their first friends in... Well, ever? In spite of what he wanted, wouldn’t sneaking out be directly against Nettla’s words? Still, another part of him wanted an opportunity to try and be a little more independent, a little more confident, a little braver. Eventually he would **have to** in the future, right? And if he started now, that would make Nettla happy, even proud of him, right?

Bruno shook his head to get rid of such thoughts. The two had just reassured they'd be there for him in case Nettla found out, so why was he worrying so much? There was no need for that!

So for now, it was settled. The Young Prince quickly followed his new friends, with a mission to accomplish and a whole day ahead of them.

Unbeknownst to the trio as they went on their little adventure, the old doe silently watched them go from a distance, slowly shaking her head and letting out a little smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Had this idea of making a fleshed-out prologue featuring Bambi's parents for a long time, since I noticed there were plenty of fanarts featuring their first meeting, but no fanfic showing how it happened XD Updates will probably take a while, but hope you're enjoying this!


End file.
